There are certain things you expect from a Taika Waititi project: it's going to be funny, obviously, in an understated Kiwi way; dads and father figures pop up a lot; and there may or may not be some mild Jeff Goldblum.

From the sound of it though, his Star Wars TV series, The Mandalorian, isn't going to be an intergalactic refit of Hunt For The Wilderpeople. Instead, Waititi says it lands closer to the original Star Wars trilogy, but with flashes of his usual vibe around the edges.

"Star Wars is very different to Marvel style," Waititi explained during a panel at the Television Critics Association's biannual do. "They know that the tone of the first films really should be kind of adhered to. That’s what the fans like and you can't really disrespect it, I guess is a nicer way of saying I can't put too many jokes in. Definitely my tone is in there, the dialogue and stuff like that."

The Mandalorian follows the previously unexplored adventures of bounty hunter Boba Fett. "For most kids growing up with those films, [Boba Fett] was one of the most favourite characters, even though he’s barely in the films," Waititi said. "Just the idea of bounty hunters, the helmets are so cool. Just getting to see characters like that and getting to shoot with them is pretty cool."

Waititi also confirmed that despite hanging out with the Marvel high-ups, he's not going to be directing Guardians of the Galaxy 3 following regular director James Gunn's unceremonious booting into the wilderness.

"For me, those are James' films. Going into something like that with his stamp all over his films, would be like going into someone’s house and saying, 'Hey, I’m your new dad, and this is how we make peanut butter sandwiches now'. It feels kind of awkward."